Question about Dive conditions?

[divingvenice]

I have never been really big on following weather past the basic forecast, so I am kind of at a loss as to what to look for as far as conditions which might lend to a good dive day.
I dive in Venice mostly so far, and from what I have gathered, easterly winds are preferable. What makes the diffrence between east and west winds?
I feel kind of ignorant asking this, but ANY suggestions/tips on what conditions to look for would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Walter]

That's ok, it might not have been covered in your class. OTOH, it might have been covered and you forgot. We all forget things. It's good that you know when to ask.

Waves are caused primarily by wind.

Waves are bigger when wind:

1. is faster. All other conditions being equal a 20 knot wind will produce bigger waves than a 5 knot wind.

2. blows longer. All other conditions being equal a wind blowing for 5 days will produce bigger waves than one blowing for 30 minutes.

3. travels over a greater distance. All other conditions being equal a wind traveling over 1000 miles of water will produce bigger waves than one traveling over 100 yds of water.

If you are making a beach dive at Venice, you have land very close to the east. Texas is much farther away to the west.

 

[divingvenice]

So wind coming off the shore is "slowed" down or "weakend" more so than wind coming from the water. Good things to know, and the more waves or bigger the waves, the more the bottom is stirred up correct.

 

[Walter]

That wasn't my point. A 20 knot wind is a 20 knot wind. Wind coming from shore blows across the water for a very short distance. Wind coming across the Gulf blows across the water a very long distance. The farther it crosses water the bigger the waves.

 

[IndigoBlue]

There are some NOAA weather sites that might help you guess the conditions at your favorite scuba site. Here is one I use.

http://nws.noaa.gov/

Surf through there and you should be able to find your area.

I look for local weather forecasts for the upcoming weekend, which normally begin to be reliable by Thursday evenings. I also look for wind velocity and predictions. Wind wave reports and forecasts as well as surge reports and forecasts all help to predict how the waves and the water will look on dive day.

I teach scuba in my free time. NOAA's data and forecasts help me select appropriate diving days to schedule the new students for the ocean. I do not just set a date and then go dive with them no matter what. I will set a tentative date, and then if conditions are not conducive to a positive, visual experience in the open water, I will postpone and wait until conditions improve. Since I do not live at the water's edge, I rely on NOAA to help me. We have lakes we can go to as well, but the boats on the lakes always give me pause about lake diving.

If you live on the water, then basically any flat day is going to be a pretty good diving day, except in the middle of the summer, when algae and/or plankton could obscure the vis. But generally, flat water equals good diving.

 

[divingvenice]

I actually have the NOAA site saved in my favorites, my DI told me about it almost the first thing.
Thanks for passing it along though.

 

[IndigoBlue]

Walter once bubbled...
That's ok, it might not have been covered in your class. OTOH, it might have been covered and you forgot. We all forget things. It's good that you know when to ask.

Waves are caused primarily by wind.

Waves are bigger when wind:

1. is faster. All other conditions being equal a 20 knot wind will produce bigger waves than a 5 knot wind.

2. blows longer. All other conditions being equal a wind blowing for 5 days will produce bigger waves than one blowing for 30 minutes.

3. travels over a greater distance. All other conditions being equal a wind traveling over 1000 miles of water will produce bigger waves than one traveling over 100 yds of water.

If you are making a beach dive at Venice, you have land very close to the east. Texas is much farther away to the west.

The only good wind is a dead wind.

 

[divingvenice]

Even I can remember that.

 

[Walter]

Actually, a dead calm can be opressively hot in FL, while a very light offshore breeze can make conditions bearable without causing waves.

 

[Diver0001]

divingvenice once bubbled...
I have never been really big on following weather past the basic forecast, so I am kind of at a loss as to what to look for as far as conditions which might lend to a good dive day.
I dive in Venice mostly so far, and from what I have gathered, easterly winds are preferable. What makes the diffrence between east and west winds?
I feel kind of ignorant asking this, but ANY suggestions/tips on what conditions to look for would be greatly appreciated.

YOu mean venice italy?

The direction of the wind is important to wave size. The smaller the waves, the better for conditions. I think Walter covered what to look for. Given how Venice is situated, I'd venture a guess that a North western wind would be best, but ok. There must be a good reason why east works better there..... Personally, I find conditions mostly acceptable until winds reach force 5. After that I'm looking for more sheltered areas.

The other things that have a big impact on conditions, especially visibility, are the tides and rainfall.

R..